Product Hunt Launch: Pre-Launch Preparation Checklist
🎯 Strategy & Positioning (4–6 Weeks Out)
Define the single core value proposition you will lead with on your Product Hunt page.
One crisp sentence that answers: what does it do, who is it for, and why does it matter. Avoid jargon.
Identify your target audience on Product Hunt — is it developers, designers, founders, marketers, or a mix?
PH skews heavily technical. If your tool is developer-facing, lean into that. If it is for non-technical users, make that contrast interesting.
Choose a launch date. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays typically see the highest activity.
Avoid holiday weeks, major tech events, and any day where a competitor's big launch is likely.
Set a measurable launch goal: upvotes threshold, signups target, revenue milestone, or press mentions.
Decide whether you will self-hunt or find a hunter with an engaged following. Research hunters in your category.
A well-known hunter adds credibility and reach but requires lead time. Reach out 3–4 weeks in advance, not the day before.
Research recent launches in your category — note what taglines, screenshots, and demo formats performed well.
Set up a basic analytics event to track traffic from Product Hunt separately from organic traffic.
Draft a brief internal launch plan doc: timeline, responsibilities, assets needed, and distribution channels.
🎨 Visual Assets & Demo Preparation (3 Weeks Out)
Create a thumbnail image (240×240 px). It must read clearly at small sizes in the PH feed.
Test how it looks next to 10 other thumbnails in a row. Avoid tiny logos or text that disappears at feed size.
Produce a gallery of 3–5 screenshots or feature images (1270×760 px recommended).
Each image should communicate one clear benefit, not just show the UI. Add short captions inside the image.
Record a demo video of 60–90 seconds showing the core use case, not a feature tour.
Start with the problem in the first 10 seconds. Show the moment of value — the "aha" interaction — within 30 seconds.
Add captions to the demo video — many PH visitors watch without sound.
Prepare an animated GIF or short loop (under 5 MB) for embedding in comments or social posts.
Review all visuals at 1x and 2x screen densities to check for blurring or clipping.
Get feedback on visuals from at least 3 people who do not know your product well.
📝 Listing Copy & Page Setup (2 Weeks Out)
Write a product tagline under 60 characters that communicates the outcome, not the feature set.
Bad: "AI-powered document manager with smart search." Better: "Find any document in under 3 seconds."
Write the "about" section: 2–3 short paragraphs covering the problem, your solution, and a brief origin story.
Prepare 3–5 bullet points highlighting key features for the listing body. Each bullet should start with a verb.
Write your maker comment in advance — post it within the first minutes of launch. Introduce yourself, explain why you built it, and invite honest feedback.
Prepare a list of 10–15 specific questions to seed genuine discussion in the comments.
Examples: "What workflow would you replace with this?", "What's the one integration you'd most want to see added?"
Draft an exclusive deal or offer for PH visitors (discount, extended trial, or bonus feature access).
Create a dedicated landing page or /producthunt path with a custom headline and the PH offer.
Avoid sending PH traffic to a generic homepage with no mention of the launch — it breaks the continuity.
Set up or verify that the Product Hunt tracking link or UTM parameters are working correctly.
Proof-read all copy for typos, passive voice, and marketing clichés ("revolutionary", "game-changing", "disruptive").
👥 Supporter & Community Outreach (1–2 Weeks Out)
Build a list of people likely to support your launch: early users, newsletter subscribers, social followers, and friends in tech.
Segment supporters into three tiers: willing to post a comment, willing to share on social, willing to just upvote.
Prepare a short personal outreach message template — not a mass blast, but something you can lightly personalise.
One sentence on why you are reaching out to that person specifically dramatically increases response rates.
Schedule emails to your mailing list: a teaser 3 days before launch and a launch-day email at 12:30 AM PT.
Notify your hunter (if external) of the confirmed launch date and send them all assets by 3 days before launch.
Post a teaser on LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and relevant Slack or Discord communities — do not reveal the date until 24–48 hours before.
Identify 2–3 relevant online communities (Reddit, Indie Hackers, Discord) where sharing the launch is genuinely welcome.
Contribute to these communities before launch day, not only when you need upvotes. Cold link drops get ignored.
Ask engaged early users for a short testimonial or honest reaction to post as a comment on launch day.
🔔 The Day Before Launch
Do a full walkthrough of the product as a first-time user and fix any friction that would frustrate a new visitor.
Load-test your server or hosting if you expect a significant traffic spike.
PH launches can send thousands of visitors in a few hours. A slow or crashed product tanks conversion and reviews.
Send your personal outreach messages to supporters — not on launch day when the inbox is full.
Re-confirm the launch is scheduled on Product Hunt at 12:01 AM Pacific Time.
Confirm the landing page, signup flow, and any promotional offer are live and working.
Set an alarm for midnight PT if you plan to post the maker comment within the first few minutes of launch.
Brief any team members on their launch day roles: who monitors comments, who handles social, who watches analytics.
🚀 Launch Day Execution
Post your maker comment immediately after launch goes live (first minutes matter for algorithm visibility).
Share the launch link across all your social channels at a staggered pace through the morning.
Stagger posts every 1–2 hours so you stay visible in feeds throughout the day, not just in one burst.
Send the launch-day email to your mailing list in the first 1–2 hours.
Respond to every comment on your PH listing within 30 minutes during peak hours (7 AM – 2 PM PT).
Share the launch in communities where you have established presence — Slack groups, Discord servers, Indie Hackers.
Post an honest mid-day update in the comments — what you've heard from users, a surprise piece of feedback, or a milestone hit.
Mid-day activity bumps keep the listing visible in the "Popular" sort.
Monitor signup conversion from PH traffic in real time — if it is low, adjust the landing page copy or offer mid-day.
Take a screenshot of the rankings at 9 AM, 12 PM, and 5 PM PT for your own record.
📊 Post-Launch Follow-Through (Days 2–7)
Post a thank-you comment on your PH listing with a summary of what you learned and what is coming next.
Send a personal reply to every user who left a substantive comment or review.
Write a brief public retrospective (blog post, tweet thread, or Indie Hackers post) with real numbers from the launch.
Transparency ("we got X upvotes and Y signups") performs far better than a vague "great launch" post.
Analyse signup quality from PH traffic: which user segments converted, which churned, and which became active.
Log every feature request or criticism mentioned in PH comments — this is raw product feedback, not just social noise.
Reach out to journalists or newsletter authors who covered similar launches and share your story.
Review the launch retrospectively: what asset was most effective, which channel drove signups, what would you do differently?
Archive all launch assets, copy, and screenshots in a folder for future reference or a follow-up launch.